Disruptive innovations in legal services

Disruptive innovations are beginning to transform legal services and the manner in which they are delivered:

Online service delivery is allowing both legal professionals and unlicensed providers to serve clients remotely;

Ranking and review information regarding legal professionals is allowing clients to assess the quality of professionals before retaining them – a previously difficult proposition;

The unbundling of services, is transforming the distribution of tasks in legal services and ending traditional “black box” models of service delivery; and

Automation is changing the nature, and volume, of tasks that legal professionals perform.

As a result of these innovations and the new competition they bring, the regulatory framework in which legal professionals operate is under pressure. Legal professional exclusivity, entry restrictions and self-regulation are all being challenged.

Competition authorities can play a role in advocating for regulatory systems that reflect current market realities and ensure market access for pro-competitive disruptive innovations. This process will require consideration of the objectives of legal professional regulations, particularly those addressing market failure, as well as the current design of those regulations.

The OECD held a discussion on the topic in June 2016. All related papers, presentations and delegates experiences are available on this page.